Pastoral Pondering
I often recall and share the story of how as a teenager – before I could drive by myself – I would sometimes ride my bicycle down the road and visit my older neighbor Gus Gilbertson. Gus was the brother of my great-grandmother, the one I have told about, who was born on a ship from Norway, and whose parents' hometown and church we visited in Norway last spring. Gus was in his 90's when I visited. We would visit and play checkers. His wife Annie would fix some cookies and lemonade. When I thought about Gus and Annie's life in their old age, it seemed boring to me – a young teenager. I asked him if days went by quickly or slowly for him. He looked at me and he told me, "When I look back, my first forty years passed very quickly. But my next forty years flew by even faster, and after I passed 80, I just don't know where the time has gone."
Well, I thought Gus was an ancient old man then, but I realize that now I am closer to the age that he was then, than I am to that young teenager I was then. And you know what? Time is spinning by for me too. I cannot believe it is November. It took me weeks and months before I finally remembered to change 2008 to 2009. Why it was just yesterday those dates began with 19…, not 20…. And even 2009 will shortly give way to 2010. Wow!! And when we were back at Luther College for Homecoming, I realized that some of those college kids were closer in age to my oldest grandson than to my oldest son.
So time seems to pass very quickly for me. But perhaps it does for all of us. I know people who retire, tell me often, how much busier their lives seems to get once they retire. And young families seem to have to be even busier than we were back in the day, as their children's lives seem even busier today than ours were 25 years ago. And all those "labor-saving" devices and new technological advances don't always save as much time as we thought. How often do we "waste" time booting up a computer that seems to be possessed by demons on certain day?
This time of the year, we are forced to think about time. Astronomically and climatologically, we cannot help it. The days grow shorter and colder. Liturgically we pushed by the weekly lessons to consider time. The lessons push us to look to the end-times and the judgment that God promises. At the same time, the lessons ask us to reflect on our past, to repent – to turn around from a life of self-declared independence from God to a life of dependence on God. All the time scriptures call us to live in the here and now, serving one another with a spirit of love, justice and peace, even as Jesus lived among us and served others.
Time passes quickly when you are having fun, says the old cliché. And sometimes it passes quickly in times of stress and trouble. Yet, regardless, time always passes quickly. It rushes by "like an ever-rolling stream," says the great hymn by Isaac Watts.
Our challenge as bothers and sisters of Christ is to use our gift of time, like all good gifts from God, in ways that honor and praise God and serve the good of all humanity. This means finding ways of living in healthy rhythms of work and rest, play and reflection, prayer and service. It means sharing the gift of time with those around us in life-giving ways. How blessed our lives would be if everyone would make it a priority to spend an hour a week in corporate worship and another hour or two in personal prayer, devotions or Bible reading each week and another hour or two or more in service through the church each week.
During November, you will each be asked to consider how you might share your time and talents through the congregation. In the next few weeks, some of you will get invitations to consider sharing your time in leadership positions on Council and Mission Endowment Committee. We all feel like I have felt lately – that time seems to be getting away from us. But prayerfully consider how to use this gift of time wisely and prudently – what things are really necessary and what are not. What activities will bless others as much as they will bless you? What activities will really bring joy or enrichment to others and therefore make you even more enriched?
May God richly bless all of your days – and hours!
